Recently I’ve seen lots of pictures of guys wearing formal wear, which is really encouraging to see there are a growing number of guys who do care how they look. However, I have noticed many of them are unaware of certain do’s and don’ts (faux pas), some minor or very obvious. I think it’s important that guys are aware of certain etiquette and basic fashion sense that comes with wearing formal clothes. Don’t wear different material jacket and pants, even though you think they look very similar. Trust me when I say that we will notice the difference and will get the impression that you are trying to hide the fact that it’s mismatching. If you want to wear mismatching jacket and pants, make the colour difference more obvious, such as navy blue and white or black and grey.
Photo via: itsallstyletome.com
When you are wearing your suit, always button your suit, but leave the bottom button unbuttoned when you are standing, no matter if its a three or two buttoned suit, or even a double breasted suit. Obviously if you have a one button suit, then button it up. When you sit down, you should remember to unbutton your jacket, except for the double breasted jacket, which you keep buttoned. This is common etiquette for guys. This little action may not be obvious, but for those who know, it makes a difference in our perception of you. My girlfriend went to a job interview for one of the banks in Taiwan, where she was with another candidate. That candidate was wearing a suit, and he got told off by the CEO for not unbuttoning his suit jacket when seated.
Photo via: Forest Gump
Please remember that your collar button (top button) must be undone unless you wear a tie or bow tie. Otherwise it looks like you forgot your tie this morning. Quite important is that your belt must be same colour as your shoes, or else it looks really funny. So, brown belt goes with brown shoes, black belt matches black shoes. Socks must be a similar colour to your pants, not your shoes! And definitely no black shoes, white socks unless you want to look like Michael Jackson. The only exception is if you want to show off your fashion sense (peacocking), then you wear socks that are in a different colour, e.g purple socks with a grey suit.
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This I see quite often, your collar must never be popped, be it for shirts or polo t-shirts, and never over your jacket lapel. It was only cool in the 1970s, not anymore. If you wear a pocket square, never wear it with a matching tie, as this shows either you are trying too hard and have obsessive compulsive behaviour in matching clothing or have no clue on how to match different colours and patterns.
Photo via: paulmalone.eu
Also don’t mix silver with gold accessories. e.g Silver cufflinks, gold watch, silver rings. You will look really ghetto.
Photo via: sflittlefashionista.blogspot.com
And on a non-formal note, but I see this too often unfortunately, don’t wear boots with shorts. It makes you look so much shorter and it looks silly. In addition, don't wear sunglasses indoors or at night, unless you are a blind person or a douche
In my opinion, this is the most important aspect. Not just for suits, but for wearing clothes in general. You could buy the most expensive and finest clothes, but if they don't fit you properly, you will still look rubbish. In order to look great in the real working world, you need to wear clothes that fit you. This does not mean the clothes hug your body so tight like a second skin, but rather fit your physique so the outline of your figure is still visible, no matter what shape you are. Sure, lots of guys complain that clothes that fit properly are uncomfortable, but that is due to either the material is of poor quality, its too tight or those guys have claustrophobia in clothes. So why do I stress so much about clothes, especially formal clothes, must fit well? When you wear clothes that are a few sizes too big for you, first its very tacky, and second, you look like a child who is wearing their dad’s clothes and pretending to be an adult. I have made this mistake quite often before, since my stature is very short, so the old me would look like this:
On the other end of the scale, if you wear clothes that are too tight, you either look like a superhero wearing tights if you’re lucky, or like a giant condom. In Taiwan, I see almost every uncle who wears a suit, is wearing one that is 3 sizes too big for them. What in the world are they thinking? I heard from an elder that it looks good, makes them look substantial and imposing. I can understand it looked good during that time, but now it does not look imposing, it looks ridiculous. They look like a lego toy in a suit, all boxy above the waist. In my opinion, I think they are partially responsible for ruining the image of wearing a suit as they helped create the perception that wearing a suit is old fashioned, boxy and boring.
Hence I suggest you must know yourself young grasshopper and be honest to yourself! Most guys think they are always one size bigger. Maybe its got to do with our ego and other sizes that we are very concerned about but most often than not, you are not as big as you think. If you are unsure, I suggest you get someone to measure your proportions. I promise you that you will look so much better wearing fitting clothes as opposed to tight or baggy. Look at the difference in the picture below, which is better?